Warp stop mechanism.



T. J. OCONNELL.

WARP STOP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED-JUNE 16, 19M.

1,139,994. v Patented May 18, 1915.

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In El.

IN VEN TOR.

I w axcow ATTORNEYS,

of the objects of my invention.

s'ra'rns PATENT THOMASJ. OCONNELL, 0F WARE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WARP STOP MECHANISM.

- To all whom it may concern:

warp-stop-motions for looms, whereby the shipping mechanism is automatically oper ated under certain conditions to stop the loom, and resides in certain peculiar mechanism, connected with the armature of the magnet that is in the detector circuit, and in operative relation to the shipping elements and the lay of the loom, all as hereinafter set forth. This mechanism is designed for a loom which is equipped with movable detectors which are adapted to be engaged by the threads of the warp and controlled by such threads, to the end that, when a warp thread breaks or becomes unduly slack, the corresponding detector is permitted to operate to close an electric circuit, with the result that an electromagnet is energized. The energized electromagnet is the element by means of which my mechanism is operated and in turn operates or is caused to be operated by the lay to actuate the shipping mechanism and stop the loom, which is one A further'object of my invention is to provide means for breaking the circuit, through which the electric current for the detectors passes, whenever there is defective warp-thread action and the loom is consequentlv stopped.

In warp-stop-motions it frequently occurs thata fault in the warp is not sufficiently pronounced or of a character to cause the loom to be stopped quickly or at all, with the result that a defect in the cloth is produced, and still another object of my invention is to insure the stopping of the loom almost simultaneously with the occurrence of any fault whatever in the warp or any faulty action on the part of a warp thread.

My warp-stop mechanism is comparatively inexpensive, can be applied to practically any loom at either end and either inside or outside of the frame, is simple in construction and operation, positive and certain in action, convenient, and withal entirely practicable and eflicient.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description. A preferred form of embodiment of the invention, whereby I attain the objects and secure the advantages of the same, is illus- Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed June 16, 1914. Serial No. 845,385.

trated in the accompanying drawings, and

I will proceed to describe the invention with reference to said drawings, although it is to be understood that the form, construction, arrangement, etc., of the parts in various aspects are not material and may be modified Without departure from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe mechanism as aforesaid, showing the same applied to the inside of the right hand end of a loom. frame, and illustrating two posi-" tions of the movable partsof said mecha,

nism; Fig. 2, a rear end-elevation of; said mechanism, and, Fig. 3, atop plan of the same.

with its movable parts normally disposed, as when the 100111 is running and there is no defective or improperwarp action, in full In the first view, the mechanism is shown lines, and with the movable parts initially displaced or actuated out of normal position, by the action of the connected armature, by broken lines. Two positions of the bunter carried by the lay of the loom are also representedin this view, only the operative ter-;'

minal portion, in broken lines, of said bunter appearing at the left to show the bunter in readiness to act on the upwardly tilted-plum ger. The lay and hunter are both omitted from Fig. 2,'and only the aforesaid terminal portion of said bunter appears in Fig. 3,"

said'lay being omitted here as. in the preceding view. The parts are disposed normally in Figs. 2 and 3, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1'. f

.The old parts and members appearing in the drawings are a fragmentary right-hand end portion 1 of the frame of'a loom, a

portion of a rock-shaft 2 journaled in said frame, a stopping and startinglever 3 secured to said rock-shaft, a shipper lever 4:

mounted on a stud '5 which projects from ing operatively connected at 13, a portion of the end of the frame shown, said levers be ashipper rod 6 pivotallv attached to said lever 4 at 14:, a lay represented in section at 7 and a magnet-box 8 containing a magnet 9 and provided with a pivotally mounted armature 10, said magnet and the inner terminal portion of said armature being represented by dotted lines in the first view. The starting and stopping or shipper mechanism is old in the art, both structurally and functionallv, and the magnet-box with its mag net and armature, are also old and well known, it being this magnet that is in the detector circuit and is energized whenever a warp thread breaks or slackens. The magnetbox terminals of the detector circuit wires leading to and from the magnet-box and the magnet therein appear at 11 and 12. The armature l0 normally or when free from the magnet 9 is separate from said magnet and has its outer terminal portion resting on an arm 15 that extends from the magnetbox 8 beneath such terminal portion. The lay 7 swings back and forth in the usual manner.

In the present case the knock-off mechanism becomes efiective through the medium of an arm 16 which is rigidly attached or clamped, by means of bolts and nuts, to the rock-shaft 2 inside of the frame end 1, two of such bolts appearing at 17 and one of such nuts'at 18. The arm 16 extends below the rock-shaft 2, and not only serves as a knock-off element, but also as an electriccircuit making and breaking element, as will presently be made plain.

Some other expedient might be equally well employed for rendering the knock-off mechanism effective, or for opening and closing the circuit, or both, that is to say another medium or other mediums might be provided to receive the blow from said mechanism and for switch purposes; moreover, some part of the shipper mechanism, other than the rock-shaft, can be utilized similarly to the latter in connection withmy invention.

The lay 7 is equipped on the bottom with a bunter 19, which consists of an angular member having an approximately vertical operating terminal, and is secured to said lay by means of a clamp 20 and one or more bolts 21 and nuts 22. The bunter 19 isap proximately in the same transverse vertical plane of the loom as is the arm 16, but the former at its lowest part is higher than the lower portion of the latter, or is always on a higher horizontal plane.

The magnet-box 8 and what has previously been termed the knock-off mechanism are attached to and mounted on a block 23. The block 23 is secured against the inside of the horizontal part of the frame end 1 by means of one or more bolts 24 and nuts 25, said bolts passing through a longitudinal slot 27 in said block, which permits the latter to be adjusted endwise for the purpose of properly locating the knock-off mechanism, or the plunger element thereof, relative to the arm 16. Washers 26 are interposed between the block 23 and the heads of the bolts 24.

The magnet-box 8 is suspended from the block 23 by a bracket 28 which is fastened to said block by a screw 29. The base of the bracket 28 is secured by bolts 30 and nuts 31 to the upper part of the magnet-box 8. A vertical slot 32 is provided in the upper part of the bracket 28 for the screw 9, and a washer 33 is interposed between said bracket and the head of said screw. The slot 32 enables the bracket with the magnet-box to be vertically adjusted for the accommodation of the connected or connecting member An electrical contact strip 34 has its base bent over to form a lip 35, between which and the adjacent part of said strip is inserted one terminal of a wire 36, and screws 37 are passed through such base to clamp said wire in place and secure said strip to the block 23. The base of the strip 34 is fastened in this manner to the block 23 adjacent to the lower front corner thereof, on the inside, and from this point said strip extends inwardly or to the left, when facing the loom, and is then twisted to bring its greatest transverse dimension into approximately parallel relation with the corresponding dimension of the arm 16, and carried upwardly into the path of said arm, being curved somewhat so as to enable said arm to make a good rubbing contact with the upper part of said strip when said arm is rocked rearwardly. The block 23 is made of wood or other insulating material, or the base of the contact strip 34 is otherwise insulated. The wire 36 forms a part of the detector circuit which is closed through the loom frame and connected members when the arm 16 is in contact with the strip 34.

The knock-off mechanism comprises a tilting and reoiprocable horizontal plunger 38, which is spring actuated in one direction, a supporting bracket 39, and a connecting rod 40 between the outer end of the armature 10 and said plunger. The bracket 39 has at its front end a bearing 41 for the plunger 38, in which the latter is received loosely so that it can rock or tilt vertically and reciprocate horizontally, and said bracket is provided at the rear end with a step 42 for said plunger or for a downwardly extending lug or leg 43 that is attached thereto and forms a part thereof; The step 42 also serves as a stop for the leg 43 of the plunger, to limit the rearward movement of said plunger when down in normal position. The base of the leg 43 may be beveled, as shown at 45 in Fig. l, in order to prevent any liability on the part of said leg, when raised on to the step 42, to slip off. Above the step 42 the rear end of the bracket 39 assumes the form of an inverted U-shaped guide 46 for the plunger 38.

The bracket 39, in the present case, is

made of a single piece of wire bent to form the members which have just been described, and also bent to form bottom lugs 47 and 48 for the reception of two screws 49 by means plunger 38 ata point behind the leg 43 and assists the bearing 41 at all times in supporting said plunger, except when the latter is supported at its rear terminal on the step 42. In. other words, that portion of the plunger that is behind the bearing 41 is 1 carried on and by the rod 40, except at such times as the leg 43- is on the step 42. Normally the armature 10 rest on the arm 15, and the rod 40 supported by said armature in turn supports the back end portion of the plunger in a low position, with the base of the leg 43 below, and incidentally in front of, the step 42, and the aforesaid back end portion below the path of the bunter 19, as shownin full lines in the first view. The plunger with its leg thus disposed is retained in position with said leg in contact with the step42 by means of a spring 51. The base of the spring 51 is secured to the block 23 by means of a screw 52, a washer 53 being used in the customary manner, and said spring extends upwardly behind the rod 40 to engage the same near the upper end with a tendency to rock it rearwardly. Thus the spring 51, acting through the rod 40, tends to urge the plunger 38 rearwardly at all times, and does so cause said plunger to be actuated when the latter is raised so that the leg-43 clears the step 42. It is understood, of course, that the connections are loose between the rod 40 and the armature 10 and the plunger 38. A stop pin 44 through the plunger 38, in front of the bearing 41, limits the backward movement of said plunger under the influence of the spring 40, when the plunger is elevated so that the leg 43 clears the step 42, and checks said plunger in a position to enable said leg to come down on said step. It will be. observed that the front end of the bearing 41 inclines downwardly and rearwardly to afford ample room for the necessary amount of play or movement on the part of the plunger and the stop pin when the former is tilted upward and moves backward,

The operation of the warp-stop mechanism described above is as follows: WVhen the loom is started the lever 3 is rocked fortector circuit, andat the same time to take position close to the front end of the plunger 38, such arm being wide enough for both purposes, that is, to make contact with said strip and be in the path of said plunger. The loom is now running and continues to run, unless some warp fault occurs, until the lever 3 is thrown back to shift the shipping mechanism, which act also carries the arm 16 away from the strip 34 and disconnects or breaks the detector circuit, thus preventing waste of the electrical energy which supplies said circuit.

Whenever a warp fault occurs, the arma-' ture 10 is actuated to elevate the rod'40 and tilt the plunger 38 upwardly in the guide 46 into the patch of the hunter 19, as shown by broken lines in Fig 1, and said bunter, which has been. traveling with the lay 7 back and forth over the terminal of said plunger that extends behind said guide, encounters upon its next forward stroke said] plunger and forces the same forward. The plunger 38 at once strikes thearm l6and forces it forward, the rock-shaft 2 being thereby partially rotated to shift the'shipping mechanism and stop the loom. The

arm 16 is at the same time forced, away from the strip 34, so that the detector circuit is broken. Theneeded repair is made,i

and the loom is then started in the same manner as before, although it may be necessary first to move the lay 7 rearwardly far enough to release the plunger 38 from the bunter 19 and to the spring 51. There be" ing no longer any electromagnetic energy to hold up the parts, the plunger drops with its leg 43 onto the step 42 as soon as said plunger is released from the bunter 19, the spring 51 having carried said plunger to the limit of its backward travel. The plunger 38 must, therefore, be pushed forward until the leg 43, drops down in front of the step 42, before the loom is started, otherwise the bunter 19 upon its first forward stroke would cause the loom to stop in the same manner as before, assuming that the loom be started without-thus removing said plunger from the path of said bunter.

Inthe event the warp-fault occurswhen the lay is moving backward and such fault be of such duration that the armature 10 fails to hold up the attached parts, the plunger 38 is held up in-the path of the bunter 19 by the step 42. This result is brought about by the spring 51which' carries the plunger backward as soon as it is raised high enough for theleg 43 to clear the step 42, and retains said plunger in position for{ said leg to come down onto said step as soon as the circuit to and through the magnet r, 9 is broken and the plunger thereby released to gravity. The stopping of the loom is thus insured, regardless of the duration'of' the electromagnetic action, or of the'position of the lay at the time such action-takes place. Should the plunger be thrust upwardly while the lay is at the extreme forward limit of travel, said plunger will then encounter the bottom edge of the bunter, but only momentarily, because the lay at once carries the bunter backward away from said plunger, and then the latter rises into place in front of the bunter. By slightly changing the shape of the bunter 19 and using a weak spring 51, it is possible to have the plunger 38 drop into inoperative or initial position, after its Work of stopping the loom is done, without becoming lodged on the step 42, or before the leg 43 arrives at said step, thus doing away with the necessity of pushing it forward before again starting the loom, but an additional safeguard is afforded by the present arrangement.

that I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in warp-stop mechanism, with a shipping mechanism member and the lay of a loom, and an electromagnetically-operated member, of an apertured bearing member attached to the loom, and a free plunger loosely mounted, with its axis approximately coinciding with the axis of the aperture in said bearing member, to slide and tilt in said bearing member, said plunger being located with one end in position to contact with said shipping mechanism member, and connected with said electromagnetically-operated member and adapted thereby to have the other end thrust into the path of said lay.

2. The combination, in warp-stop mechanism, with a shipping mechanism member and the lay of a loom, and an electromagnetically-operated member, of an apertured bearing member attached to the loom, a free plunger loosely mounted, with its axis ap proximately coinciding with the axis of the aperture in said bearing member, to slide and tilt in said bearing member, said plunger being located with one end in position to contact with said shipping mechanism member, and connected with said electr0- magnetically-operated member and adapted thereby to have the other end thrust into the path of said lay, and resilient means tending to force said plunger away from said shipping mechanism member.

3. The combination, in warp-stop mechanism, with the shipping mechanism and the lay of a loom, and an electromagneticallyoperated member, of a loosely-mounted sliding and tilting plunger arranged in operative position relative to said shipping mechanism when disposed to start the loom, said plunger being connected with said member and adapted to be thrust into the path of said lay, means to hold said plunger from longitudinal movement away from said shipping mechanism until said plunger is tilted,

means to move said plunger longitudinally into supported position when tilted, and stationary means, independent of said member, to support said plunger in the path of said lay, when said plunger is tilted and moved longitudinally into supported position.

4. The combination, in warp-stop mechanism, with the shipping mechanism and the lay of a loom, and an electromagneticallyoperated member, of a loosely-mounted sliding and tilting plunger arranged in operative position relative to said shipping mechanism when disposed to start the loom, resilient means tending to force said plunger away from said shipping mechanism, said plunger being connected with said member and adapted thereby to be thrust into the path of said lay, means to restrain said plunger from longitudinal movement away from said shipping mechanism until said plunger is tilted, and stationary means, independent of said member, to support said plunger in the path of said lay, when said plunger is tilted and moved longitudinally into supported position.

5. In. warp-stop mechanism, a looselymounted sliding and tilting plunger, means to tilt said plunger, means to restrain said plunger fromlongitudinal movement until said plunger is tilted, means to move said plunger longitudinally into supported position when tilted, and stationary means, independent of said tilting means, to support said plunger when tilted and moved longitudinally into supported position.

6. In warp-stop mechanism, a loosely mounted sliding and tilting plunger, means to tilt said plunger, means to hold said plunger from longitudinal movement until said plunger is tilted, resilient means to move said plunger longitudinally into supported position when tilted, and stationary means, independent of said tilting means, to support said plunger when tilted and moved longitudinally into supported position.

7. The combination, in warp-stop mechanism, with a lay member, of a looselymounted sliding and tilting plunger, means to tilt said plunger into the path of said lay member, means to restrain said plunger from longitudinal movement until said plunger is tilted, means to move said plunger longitudinally into supported position when tilted, and stationary means, independent of said tilting means, to retain said plunger when tilted in such path.

8. In warp-stop mechanism, knock-off mechanism, comprising a plunger having a projecting member, a loose bearing and a guide for said plunger, a step for said member, and means so to operate said plunger as to raise said projecting member onto said step.

9. In a warp-stop mechanism, knock-0E mechanism comprising a spring-pressed plunger having a projecting member, a loose bearing and a guide for said plunger, a step in the path of said member, means to actuate said plunger above said step, and means to limit the movement of said plunger under the influence of its spring When thus actuated. Y

10. The combination, in Warp-stop mechanisms, With the shipping mechanism and the lay of a loom, such shipping mechanism consisting in part of a rock-shaft, an arm secured to said rock-shaft, a hunter carried by said lay, and an electromagneticallyoperated member, of a circuit-forming memher in the path of said arm, an apertured Copies of this patent may be obtained for bearing member and a guide memberattached to the loom, a plunger mounted to slide axially and to tilt in the aperture in said bearing member, guided by said guide member, and arranged in operative relation to said arm, When said shipping mechanism is disposed'to start the loom and said arm is disposed accordingly, said plunger being connected With said member and adapted thereby to be thrust into the path of said bunter. v

' THOMAS J. OCONNELL.

WVitnesses:

JAMES W. KENNEDY,

GEORGE D. S'ronRs.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Paten s- Washington, D. 0. 

